Tools for valuing tree and park services

Winter 2010 bons of green meandering through a largely gray landscape. They form an interconnected network of “green infrastructure” that can be integrated into “gray infrastructure.” The tools described here focus on trees and parks because they are the largest structural elements and responsible for most benefits and costs. Their value is equal to the net benefits that members of society obtain from them. A park or urban forest’s structure and function contribute to its value. Here, ‘structure’ refers to the tree population’s species composition, age diversity, and condition, as well as the way trees are arrayed in relation to other